Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-02-05

sympathetic, kindly, loving nature, deeply fun OF
hm bu Sa m s ss Of eHs9
recurring conviction that a black drop lurked
somewhere In that passionate nature. He
deeply, and at such times he had two
moods. one OF Wild reckless gayety, In which he
was gloomy and unreasonabls With N Sn sshss Of
| furious, short-hved anger. We seldom saw him in
this mood; he would shut himself up in his studio
one OF the gioomiest places ever saw. Ii was a
great bare room, with none OF the artistic trash
which encountered or enliyened the other studios.
| few pictures with their faces TO the WALL his
easel and painting box, an Old chair, shabby
| b0okcase,-that was all. He painted strange pic
lures; they were mastery In drawing and In color,
but the subject always concealed some deadly sur
| prise or some fatal misfortune. A doe feeding
TRANQUILITY beside stream, while in the thicket a
lion iurked ready TO spring; young girl, gayly
| tending her flowers, unconscious OF the snake
| cOiled up among them; or child clapping its
little hands and laughing while the earth crumb-
led beneath its feet. There was one drawing which
| / still have. He handed it to me one day that /
| might look at a plan OF something on the back OF
| it, | think now that he did not know the drawing
was on the other side IL is a wild whirl of devils
| with cymbals and clashing instruments sweeping
aiout the PROSTATE figure OF little white angel
! only a few strokes, but IT made powerful i'm
preston on melt seemed TO recall something
fancied there was something wrong with his
brain Once he sprang up from his seat In my
studio, pale and excited.
"Beiden, what's that looking over the back OF
the chair, there in the dark corner" he said. He
gTasped my arm with a terrible grip as he spoke.
He had been drinking then, knew. / looked
| across the room and saw that Some white drapery
thrown over tall old chair looked not unlike a
human form, and over 1t hung little sketch l
had made some months before OF young girl with
golden hair pointed IL out to him. and ninging
aside my arm he went over, and taking down the
sketch. he looked at IL long and earnestly. Then
he asked me almost angrly, who is III?
said 'Nobody,-a fancy sketch
He still kept 1t in his hand and muttered some
thing which sounded like poor little angel, poor
devil and then tossed the canvas In the corner
and SAT silent and moody until he went away. He
was not often so. The next day he forced me to
forget all strangeness In the gayety aud charm
which Sublugated every One / often thought he
was man who would have inspired most women
with great love- mingled with great fear OF him.
one evening / was TO have a supper In my
Studio-a farewell to AnatOle, who was going to
England TO try his fortune l was In luck Just
then; had sold a picture, and AntOle's departure
was good excuse, II one was needed. The table
was laid In my studio, which was gay with lights
and howers and other thingS,-things TO eat and
too many things TO drink, fear. There were If
teen guests but We had only been seated few
moments when Jules lie FEVER and his brother
were called away-Some message, telegram,
forget what-sO we were only twelve, as George
was late He came at last, answering our uproar-
1ous greeting Joyously, and took his seat by my
me. 1 saw with some regret that he had already
been drinking, though heOnly betrayed IL by GER
tain rsstiessness of manner and deeper flush than
usual on his face. We were very gay, and George
outshone himself; he was fun of an almost bOyish
Jollity which grew holder and more boisterouS as
The night drew
1t was late when some cried out, "Hola, George
tn es lie troiZleme; quel malheur" George only
laughed, but the conversation drifted gradually
into gh05tly channel. Our party represented
several natiOnalitieS. and each one brought his
characteristic contribution until young Italian
with IA palr, delicate face, like an old carving in
IVORY, who sat opposite 10 George, began TO speak
OF The idea that every face which looked into a
mirror LEFT its lndelible impress there, until there
came TO be confused mass OF outlines invisible to
unen1ghtened eyes, but which. under certain fav-
Orlble circumstances, arranged themselves in
order. and came out into shadowy distinctness
one after the other.
Sat midnight, or On the eve of All Souls, sup
pose said George. gayly, zone might discover who
had looked OIteneSt in her glass"
NO" interrupted the Italian, ''the same face
falls always into its own outline; there would be
only one for each person who had looked into the
mirror
But, AMIGO, what will you do with all the
varied expression of which the human face is
capabe?7
'-Thcre is one expression which belongs essen
TALLY To the individually all others are but changes
OF that one. The underlying character, the true
hidden soul, would be In the impression on the
mirror
George shook his head. 'There is no reason In
. that: one might never look honestly into the
mirror, ana tue prevalent expression might be OF
/! Slmperilg vanity, which was only superficial"
/ III Is llIposSIDie; AT some one time the soul
would look through the eyes, and be caught for
ever"
.'Why should that besn said George. SIS not
that fantastic theory founded on some idea OF a
displacement or iafinitesimaL'
bah; mon ami broke in AnatOle, who had
been silent too long for his pleasure ..get not
these confOundet stories and be gay. DO you for
get Jlat am gong INTO gloomy exile?"
\ little hubbub 81 tax and laughter arose, but
for some reason George continued to talk to the
Italian was surprised to hear him bringing his
acute logical faculties TO bear upon The ANTIQUE
rubbish with which GioFanni's brain was stored.
II Was like breaking a butterfly on wheel. and
Giovanni was Ia no wise hanpered b. impOssibili-
ties. Since the thing was NY Stery, supernatural
extent
IAN ancestress OF mine, heard him saying in
his dreamy voice, mad mirror OF Venetian glass,
set in = frame carved wonderfully, and swinging
+ between twisted columns. l have heard That
! The garland held alOiJ between the hands OF
/ anOrctti sitting on the top, was made OF the
! simulated a crown OF roses, the Hover OF Venus,
! and seemed TO rest above the head Of her who
looked INFO the mirror When SavOnarOle preached
against the vanitieo and luxuTies OF Life, my an
c'strasS tt-0k down the garland of roses and re-
pcea IL VITA a GlnhlhSiy carved crown OF thorns.
sac was a Ottutiiul woman, WIN great blue eyes,
and red gold hair, like that OF Ttian'S woman. It
/ was said THAT iny ancestor loved her with such
J jealous rage that ne could not bear her To even
look ut aUshJ beside himself; even the sunlight
ana the evening sky were hateful TO
him. because her sweet eyes looked at them
/ lovingly She must have led gloomy
I life at Oest, in the high castle perched upon d
lonely rock, and who can wonder If the painter
who came 70 take her portrait stirred a little
blood in those pale cheeks, II only as sudden
di5Jurb5 the surface OF SOiue still mountain
+ lake? Her husband watched her grimly She
sat in her thick satin dress, SOwed Will great
pearls, and her hair gathered beneath ditdem
i ana Rowing in long locks behind. one day she
dropped her ian or SnOW-whlJe waving feathers.
and CONT lifted ami gave IL to her almost Oh his
knee. Is il be did her homage. she bluSned and
smiled al the handsome, youthful face and thanked
him gently. IU was farewell too, for the picture
/ was finished, and would be set on the morrow in
its place in the gallery, and the DID, dreadful life
! in which she saw nothing fair but her own SOr-
+ rowiul face in the mlrror-wOuld settle down
/ again like DARK veil. Poor SOuI it would settle
I down no more; it was TO be lifted forever.
| ''Ihe next morning they found her lying On the
,
i dead. The women who made the death toilette
whispered that the fair neck was dark and swollen
| with the cruel grips OF strong hands; and il is
said that when she laid in state her long hair was
I curiously dressed, so that her neck and throat
We're yelled by ii, and her fair, pitiful face was
framed Ike some o.. the MadOnnaS OF Fra Angelica
in burning gold"
BY this time the noise of talk and laughter had
quite ceaSrl, aud We were grouped together listen
ing intently 10 the Italian. glanced at George
and a most started at the expression Of his face
an awful face. It was as II some desperate strup.
/ gle against remOroe Was tearing TO pieces that
passionate. Tt6elliouS nature. lie fought against
some anguish, that would long ago have con.
/ Quered weaker man.
GAS he caught my eye the painful expression
vanished. and, einpty1ng his full glass and fiing
| iJ again. he said with his hardest laugh: But
| what about the mirror, AricO? Did the pOol
lady ghost scare her husband into late repent
/ ance?'
/ .sThe gloom OF the Old castle deepeened ~ con.
/ tinued Giovanni, gravely. ''Once the duke slept
there on MS way to Florence for my ancestor was
! OF a great and powerful family and Tor day and
/ nigh! an unacclstomed gayety gided those dreary
/ haunted r00ins. There were priceless pictures in
/ the gallery, aud my ancestor Was proud TO SHOW
his treasures The portrait OF Beatrice hung in IFS